Choosing a college can be one of the hardest choices you will make in your life. The college you choose is the place where you will be spending four years or more, all while making life long friends and enjoying the best years of your life. Yes, college is better than high school I promise. When applying to colleges I didn’t really know what I was doing and I applied all over, and when I say all over I mean it. I applied to fourteen schools including Ole Miss, University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina, East Carolina University, Florida State and many others. When I applied to Ohio University I thought of it more of as a fallback school because I thought for sure I would go somewhere down south. As acceptance letters rolled in, I started weighing my options more. It was fest season and I visited my brother, who was a senior, in Athens for The Number Fest. That weekend was what put Ohio University at the top of my list, and not just because I went to a crazy music festival in a field. It was everything else I experienced that made me fall in love with Athens, Ohio and want to be a Bobcat.

The first thing I noticed was how students treated each other. I visited many of the schools I applied to and the hospitality just did not compare to that of Ohio University. Everyone greeted me with a warm hello and was enthusiastic about the school. Everyone was so friendly, and there weren't stereotypes like I saw at many schools I visited. At Ohio University I noticed you were able to be yourself. You didn’t have to act a certain way or dress a certain way. Students do their own thing and do not care what others think and I loved that, coming from a small Catholic private school where everyone wore the same thing and there was little student expression. Ohio University is the opposite. It is a place where no one is going to judge you for wearing pajamas to a bar, having purple or green hair or making that 12 p.m. walk of shame the next day. Bobcats are truly magical people, and loving ones. They love their school and love each other.

The other main thing I was looking for was a fun college experience because they say college should be the best years of your life. The southern SEC schools are great in the fall with football games but when those are over there is not much to look forward to until the next year. I didn’t want that, I wanted a place where there was always something to draw you in. From visiting during random weekends, staying for Sibs' weekend, and going to Number Fest, I could tell Ohio University was a special place. You walk the streets and find people on their porches or if they aren’t there they are at one of Court Street’s many bars such as Crystal, CI, Courtside, Stephen’s, Pawpurr's and more. The list of bars, or gathering places, is basically endless, and all of them draw in a huge crowd. It is rare you see an empty bar in Athens any night of the week.

Ohio University has the greatest people you could ever meet and could give you the best experiences of your life, so why would I have chosen anywhere else? Becoming a Bobcat has been the best decision of my life and I don’t regret it one bit. I have made my best friends, found sisterhood in my sorority and have had the best time of my life. If I could compare Ohio University to anywhere it would be Disneyland, because it is truly a magical place. For all incoming freshmen who decide to become Bobcats, be ready for the best years of your life.